What's GAJIMA and HAJIMA?

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What's GAJIMA and HAJIMA?

If you're into K-POP or watch Korean dramas, the words featured on this week's KWOW will sound very familiar to you. Watch episode 55 below:

GAJIMA (가지마) means don't go. HAJIMA (하지마) means don't do, don't, or stop it, depending on the context. Whenever you hear JIMA (지마), it indicates a "don't." It is placed after a verb to make it negative.

As explained in KWOW episode 55, you make a verb negative by… 1. choosing an un-conjugated verb 2. subtracting DAH (다) 3. adding JIMA (지마)

For example, let's negate the un-conjugated verb "to cry": 울다 (ooldah) - 다 (dah) + 지마 (jima) = 울지마 (ooljima) And that's how you convert "to cry" into "don't cry."

[Taekwon's philosophy: "If you're sad, eat K-BBQ. If you're happy, eat K-BBQ."]

How do you convert "to do" into "don't do"? 하다 (hadah) - 다 (dah) + 지마 (jima) = 하지마 (hajima) Remember, HAJIMA can mean one of the following: don't do, don't, or stop it.

[Billy Jin and Madison Lee were high school un-sweethearts. There was mega drama between the two. Hyungmin, above, is Billy Jin's boyfriend's best friend.]

Shall we negate one more verb? For this final example, let's use the most important verb "to eat," which is 먹다 (mukdah) in Korean. 먹다 (mukdah) - 다 (dah) + 지마 (jima) = 먹지마 (mukjima)

[Little does Billy Jin know about Hyungmin and his new girlfriend Madison Lee. Ignorance is not always bliss, but Korean shaved ice is!]

Time to QUIZ YOURSELF! Think you can spot JIMA in the following videos?

Question #1: Where do you hear the second GAJIMA (가지마) in Big Bang's "Monster"?

Question #2: Can you spot the first GAJIMA in Hwanhee's "Don't Go"?

Question #3: When does the 5th GAJIMA appear in Monday Kiz’s “Don’t Go”?

GRAND FINALE QUESTION #4: How many GAJIMA's and OOLIJIMA's can you spot in Davichi & T-ara's "We Were in Love"?

ANSWERS BELOW. No peeking!

Answer #1: The second GAJIMA is sung at 2:53. Other GAJIMA's appear at 1:54, 3:01, 3:02, 3:03, and 3:57. In addition, HAJIMA appears at 3:05, 3:06, and 3:07.

Answer #2: The first GAJIMA is sung at 0:37.

Answer #3: The 5th GAJIMA appears at 2:05. Other GAJIMA's are sung at 0.:03, 0:04, 1:12, 1:13, 2:06, 2:58, and 2:59.

Answer #4: Think you found them all? Post your answer be below, along with a fun/random/kimbap-rific question to Professor Oh. The first *five* people to get the correct answer wins a reply from this week's KWOW host. No question, no reply. Have fun! :)

Other videos that contain gajima, hajima, and jima: GD&TOP - "Don't Go Home"T-ara - "Cry Cry" Davichi - "Don't Say Goodbye" g.o.d. - "Lies" [old school K-pop]

*** ANSWER TO QUESTION #4 REVEALED! (updated July 3) GAJIMA is sung 5 times (0:28, 1:09, 2:02, 2:44, 3:05). OOLIJIMA is sung 4 times (0:13, 0:55, 1:47, 2:41). Did you notice other previously featured KWOW words, such as JOA and SARANG? :)

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How to say "HAVE" and "DON'T HAVE" in Korean (KWOW #54)

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How to say "HAVE" and "DON'T HAVE" in Korean (KWOW #54)

Let's say you're walking on a street in Seoul and you suddenly have the urge to use the restroom. Or maybe there's a Korean hottie and you want to know if they're single or taken. Perhaps you saw a cute shirt on display and want to ask if they have one in your size?

Whatever the case, episode 54 of KWOW is your best friend: we're learning about the words HAVE and DON'T HAVE.

Here's the brief review: ISSUH (있어) is the informal way of saying "have" and "is." Issuh is a conjugation of the verb ITDAH (있다), which means "to have" and "to be."

UPSSUH (없어) is the formal way of saying "don't have" and "is not." Upssuh is a conjugation of the verb UPDAH (없다), which means "to not have" and "to not be."

Let's say you're at a bank and want to ask if they have a bathroom.
You say… 화장실 있어요? (Hwajangshil issuhyo?)
Do you have a restroom?

In the previous phrase, issuhyo (있어요) means "have." Remember that issuhyo can also mean "is," depending on the context. Here's an example where the word is used as "is":

화장실이 어디 있어요?
(Hwajangshilee uhdee issuhyo?)
Where is the restroom?

If the person replies, "화장실 없어요" (Hwajangshil upssuhyo), it means "We don't have a restroom." Sorry! Try asking at the cafe across the street. Maybe if you buy some coffee, they'll let you use their restroom.

Billy Jin informally asks, "Do you have a girlfriend?" Boys, don't get too excited. This girl is taken!

Billy Jin informally asks, "Do you have a girlfriend?" Boys, don't get too excited. This girl is taken!

You are at your friend's birthday party and see a cute boy (or girl). You want to know if they have a girlfriend (or boyfriend). Here's how you would ask:

남자 친구 있어요? (Namja chingoo issuhyo?) Do you have a boyfriend?

여자 친구 있어요? (Yuhja chingoo issuhyo?) Do you have a girlfriend?

Taekwon Do informally says, "I have a girlfriend." If you didn't know yet, his girlfriend is Billy Jin.

Taekwon Do informally says, "I have a girlfriend." If you didn't know yet, his girlfriend is Billy Jin.

Granny Kim informally says, "I don't have a boyfriend." That's because she has a husband!

Granny Kim informally says, "I don't have a boyfriend." That's because she has a husband!

If they reply, "여자 친구 있어요" (Yuhja chingoo issuhyo), it means "I have a girlfriend." It's okay. There are plenty of other cuties at the party!

But maybe they instead say, "여자 친구 없어요" (Yuhja chingoo upssuhyo), which means, "I don't have a girlfriend." Ask him on a date to the karaoke and show off the latest dance moves you learned from Girls' Generation. And hopefully he's got some Big Bang dance moves ready for you! Sounds like the beginnings of a potential romance.

NOTE: To speak formally, remember to add YO (요) at the end of the phrases.

Think you can hear ISSUH and UPSSUH within their context? Quiz yourself with these practice questions, then enter our weekly contest. Answers are located at the bottom. No peeking!

Question #1: Where does the first UPSSUH (없어) appear in Beast's "Breath"?

Question #2: Can you find the first ISSUH (있어) in Dalmatian's "E.R."? (You'll also hear UPSSUH in this song.)

Question #3: Think you can find UPSSUHYO (없어요) in Apink's "I Don't Know"? Where?

GRAND FINALE QUESTION #4: How many UPSSUH's (없어) can you find in Huh Gak's "I Told You I Wanna Die"?

ANSWERS BELOW

Answer #1: The first UPSSUH is sung at 2:18.

Answer #2: ISSUH is sung at 0:33.

Answer #3: UPSSUHYO appears at 0:51.

Answer #4: Did you find them all? Post your answer below, along with a fun/crazy/yummy question to Granny Kim. The first *FIVE* people to get the correct answer wins a reply from this week’s KWOW host Granny Kim. No question, no reply. Have fun! :)

ANSWER TO QUESTION #4 REVEALED! (June 26, 2012) UPSSUH is sung four times at 1:02, 1:08, 2:10, and 2:17.

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What's "Honja" & "Gatchi"? (KWOW #53)

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What's "Honja" & "Gatchi"? (KWOW #53)

Whether you love being with people or alone, hope you find episode of KWOW 53 to be quite useful!

Here's the recap: GATCHI means "together." HONJA means "alone." Pretty simple, right? Look below for the featured phrases from the episode.

같이 가자!
(Gatchi gaja!)
Let's go together!

같이 먹자!
(Gatchi mukja!)
Let's eat together!

같이 갈까?
(Gatchi galgga?)
Shall we go together?

This is for you netizens out there. If you've lived on the Internet long enough, you've seen the famous Forever Alone character. Question is, what is the character's name in Korean?

영원히 혼자
(Yongwonhee Hongja)
Forever Alone

Do you have what it takes to spot GATCHI and HONJA within their context? Quiz yourself with the practice questions, then take the contest challenge. Answers are located at the bottom. No peeking!

Question #1: Where's the first HONJA in the OST for the Korean drama "Bad Boy"?

Question #2: Can you find the 5th HONJA in Sistar’s “Alone”?

GRAND FINALE CONTEST QUESTION #3: How many GATCHIs do you hear in Big Bang's "Fantastic Baby"?

ANSWERS BELOW. NO PEEKING!

Answer #1: The first HONJA is sung at 1:49.

Answer #2: The fifth HONJA is sung at 1:20. The previous four are found at…

  • 0:52 이제와 혼자 (Eejehwa honja) Now I'm alone
  • 1:06 왜 또 나 혼자 밥을 먹고 (Wae ddo na honja bapeul mukgo) Why am I eating alone again
  • 1:08 나 혼자 영화를 보고 (Na honja yonghwa bogo) I watch the movie alone
  • 1:10 나 혼자 노래하고 (Na honja noraehago) I sing songs alone

Answer #3: Did you find them all? Post your answer below, along with a fun/crazy/yummy question to Grandma Bongja. The first *FIVE* people to get the correct answer wins a reply from this week's KWOW host Bongja. No question, no reply. Have fun! :)

ANSWER #3 REVEALED! (Updated June 22, 2012) GATCHI is sung four times (3:38, 3:41, 3:45, and 3:49)

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